NSA Notarial Acts in Signings 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A borrower presents an expired state ID at a loan signing. What must the NSA do?
- Accept it if the photo still resembles the signer
- Refuse to proceed and ask for a valid, unexpired ID (Correct answer)
- Contact the lender for guidance before proceeding
- Use a credible witness to confirm identity instead
Correct answer: Refuse to proceed and ask for a valid, unexpired ID
Notaries must verify signer identity using current, unexpired government-issued ID; expired identification is not acceptable.
Question 2: Which notarial act requires the signer to personally appear AND make an oath or affirmation about the truthfulness of a document's contents?
- Acknowledgment
- Jurat (Correct answer)
- Copy certification
- Signature witnessing
Correct answer: Jurat
A jurat requires the signer to personally appear, sign in the notary's presence, and swear or affirm the contents are true.
Question 3: When completing a jurat, at what point must the signer sign the document?
- Before arriving at the signing appointment
- In the notary's physical presence during the notarial act (Correct answer)
- At any time, as long as the document is brought to the notary
- After the notary has already affixed the seal
Correct answer: In the notary's physical presence during the notarial act
A jurat requires the signer to sign in the notary's presence as part of the act, distinguishing it from an acknowledgment.
Question 4: An NSA is asked to notarize a document where the notarial certificate wording says 'subscribed and sworn before me.' Which act does this language indicate?
- Acknowledgment
- Jurat (Correct answer)
- Certified copy
- Protest
Correct answer: Jurat
'Subscribed and sworn before me' is the standard language indicating a jurat notarial act.
Question 5: A signer has a physical disability and cannot hold a pen. What is the proper procedure in most states?
- The NSA may sign on the signer's behalf with lender approval
- Another person may sign at the signer's direction in the notary's presence (Correct answer)
- The signing must be postponed until the signer can sign independently
- The signer may use a rubber stamp signature instead
Correct answer: Another person may sign at the signer's direction in the notary's presence
Most states allow a signature by proxy when the signer directs another person to sign on their behalf in the notary's presence.
Question 6: What is the purpose of an acknowledgment in a real estate loan signing?
- To certify that the signer was under oath when signing
- To confirm the signer willingly executed the document and is who they claim to be (Correct answer)
- To certify that the document is a true copy of an original
- To protest a dishonored negotiable instrument
Correct answer: To confirm the signer willingly executed the document and is who they claim to be
An acknowledgment confirms the signer personally appeared, was identified, and voluntarily signed the document.
Question 7: Which scenario would require the NSA to stop a signing immediately?
- The borrower asks questions about loan terms
- The borrower refuses to sign one document but will sign the others
- The borrower's identification does not match the name on the loan documents (Correct answer)
- The signing takes longer than two hours
Correct answer: The borrower's identification does not match the name on the loan documents
If the signer's ID does not match the name on the documents, the NSA cannot verify identity and must stop the signing.
NSA Notarial Acts in Signings 2
A borrower presents an expired state ID at a loan signing.
What must the NSA do?